apart from the excerpt below, how does bill HEFFERnan get off with calling others mad cow, when he is a prime example......
"The plan has attracted harsh criticism from the industry, the Opposition and independent Senator Nick Xenophon.
But the Cattle Council's president, Greg Brown, says their response is simply scaremongering.
"This [reaction] is unbelievably damaging to the Australian beef industry and there are so many people complicit in this issue generating this damaging discussion," he said.
"Beef will not start coming next Monday - the protocols are yet to be put in place. There's a whole procedure that needs to take place before any beef comes in.
"There never has been a flood of beef come in from the United States, and why they would be so determined to get huge quantities of beef into Australia post next Monday I've no idea, and I doubt if it's going to happen.
"Considering at pre-BSE, the five years leading up to 2004 - which was the year BSE was identified in the United States - there was 35 tonnes per annum."
'Protectionist'
Mr Brown says conservative politicians seem unable to accept that the industry is for free trade.
He says those opposing the relaxation are "protectionist" and "that is not in the interests of this country and certainly not in the interest of the beef industry".
